The status of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s arm is a wait-and-see proposition at this point.

His manager, though, doesn’t believe the fighter’s career is over.

“Nogueira is no rookie when it comes to overcoming adversity and issues like this, so right now it’s just too early to decide that,” Ed Soares today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “But I don’t believe that’s the last time we’ll see Nogueira in the cage.”

Nogueira (33-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is in Los Angeles today to see a specialist who will assess the full extent of the damage done to his arm when Frank Mir (16-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) caught him in a kimura this past Saturday at UFC 140. The fight co-headlined UFC 140 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto and aired live on pay-per-view.

Not long after the event, the promotion tweeted a picture of an X-ray of Nogueira’s right arm that showed a clearly broken humerus. UFC president Dana White later added that the fighter may have suffered elbow and shoulder damage as well.

Soares said he didn’t know the extent of the damage beyond the broken arm.

The former interim UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE heavyweight champion availed himself well against Mir in the early moments of the fight. After rocking Mir with a punch, Nogueira attempted to finish with a guillotine choke, but Mir was able to escape and quickly turn the tables with a kimura.

Nogueira escaped the initial submission threat, but Mir held onto his arm as he attempted to roll out of danger. By the time they came to rest, Mir was on top of him and cranked the kimura until the arm broke and Nogueira tapped.

“He was fighting phenomenally,” Soares said. “He had the fight won, he committed a mistake, and at this level, when you’re fighting top guys in each division, it’s like a chess game. You move the wrong piece, and you can lose. Unfortunately, Nogueira made a wrong decision during the fight, and he lost.”

Soares declined to speculate on the recovery time Nogueira will need before strapping on his gloves.

“We’re taking it day by day and moment by moment,” he said.

White, who flew Nogueira to Los Angeles following the fight, said he would talk with the fighter about whether to continue on with his career or not. Ultimately, though, he said the decision is in his hands.

“You’ve got to look at a guy’s entire career, not just how it’s ending,” White said. “‘Big Nog’ has been in wars. I was at the PRIDE fight when he fought Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ (Filipovic). ‘Cro Cop’ was just blasting him with kicks to the body and shots to the head. Then [Nogueira] ends up pulling off that submission win in the second round. He’s had a career where he’s been through wars.

“‘Big Nog’ is a nice guy, and he’s a guy whom I respect. I know they get pissed off at me when I say this stuff, but again, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m the one that makes these decisions. I’m going to have to sit down and talk to him. I don’t want to see him get hurt – or anybody else.”

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